Automating growth could be the answer.

Get the workflow strategy right before automating growth.

The decisions you face when considering automating growth is whether or not to exploit your business’s accomplishments. Whether to expand or keep the company stable and profitable, providing a base for other activities you wish to pursue, is essential.

A key issue is whether to use a technology platform for growth or to support your aspirations. Starting a new enterprise, pursue hobbies and other outside interests or run for political office. You might simply want to maintain the status quo.

One way to grow stable operations is to automate as many activities in your business as you can.

Develop your operational framework and integrate all business functions:

Stay organised at the office, online and mobile.

Look for ways to improve your customer experience.

Integrate all your software applications.

Provide quality automated, personalised sales and marketing messages.

Simplify and automate information and knowledge integration with services.

Create easy-to-access, lead-scoring to help you know who is ready to buy.

Don’t waste leads, capture new leads and automate the follow-up.

Stay competitive with an integrated sales pipeline and e-commerce solutions.

Make reports easier to compile, analyse and put into the hands of your team.

When you grow your business, these things will become more critical. You will require functional managers to take over specific duties performed by you. Managers should be competent but need not be of the highest calibre.

Business and personal goals can often limit their potential. The main concern is to avoid a cash drain in good times, therefore becoming unable to withstand the inevitable bad times.

As your business matures, you will increasingly tend to grow apart, and your growth structures need to change. It may be because you have created other activities elsewhere, because of the presence of other staff. Sound automation will help to prevent the business from falling apart.

Automating growth won’t happen if you don’t take action.

Don’t let the small picture overshadow the big picture. The question is how not if you want to live your vision and objectives.

Among the critical tasks associated with automation, is ensuring your business stays profitable. Avoid trying to grow too fast. It is especially relevant if you want to avoid the problems of expanding beyond your available working capital.

Develop stakeholders to meet the growing needs of the business.

Schedule meetings with stakeholders and identify issues using this simple diagram as a guide.

Schedule the necessary tasks to fix the problems and capture the growth opportunities.

Install the best systems you can afford and be ready for new markets as they emerge.

Outsource non-core activities to facilitate growth and profit.

Understand the critical problems of how to grow and how to finance that growth.

Engage partnerships that can improve supply and growth while helping you work out where to develop next.

Adjust your Business Model and create a growth plan for profitable growth.

If you are finding this difficult, utilise the services of an external advisor.

Take action to have fun; growth should be enjoyable and rewarding.

Don’t get a customer just to make a sale.

Keep serving your customer and take care of them more consistently. Think of what you can give away today when people are worried, something which can start a conversation today and may lead to a sale tomorrow, or down the track.